Bürgel Manor

Haus Bürgel is a medieval feudal estate located north of the Baumberg district of the city of Monheim am Rhein, on the border with the Düsseldorf-Urdenbach district. Its origin is a Roman fort.

Roman Period

More precise information about the Roman fort, from which Haus Bürgel developed, is not available. Accordingly, there are various contradictory statements regarding its founding period and Roman name. Currently, most historians assume the following:

Burungum, also written Buruncum, was a Roman fort presumably located in the village of Cologne-Worringen and did not concern the site of Haus Bürgel. Its Roman name would thus be unknown. The fort, which was the predecessor of today's 'Haus Bürgel', was probably built during the reign of Emperor Constantine I (306–337 AD), at the latest during the time of Emperor Valentinian (364–375 AD). The fort was then located on the left bank of the Rhine. The original structure was surrounded by twelve towers, four corner towers and eight round towers. Its dimensions were 64 by 64 meters and the walls had a thickness of up to 2.30 meters. A double ditch was arranged in front of the walls. Today, only a few wall remnants from the Roman period remain.

However, there are some indications for the establishment of a "Roman complex" at the Haus Bürgel site, which point to a much earlier time. That this already happened around 10 BC during the reign of Nero Claudius Drusus is unlikely. Under this Roman ruler, many Roman forts and camps were built on the left bank of the Middle and Lower Rhine for border security. However, there is no evidence that Haus Bürgel dates from this period, although this was suspected by a historian in the 19th century. A not quite so early date for the founding of a Roman complex is supported by several facts, specifically:

• During the renovation of some buildings of Haus Bürgel in 1729, several silver and copper coins were found. These coins dated from the time of Emperors Vespasian (reign 69–79) and Trajan (reign 98–117), i.e., towards the end of the 1st century AD. After the suppression of the revolt of the Germanic tribe of the Batavians in 69–70 AD, the Roman provinces north of the Alps were secured and renovated by Vespasian and subsequent emperors. It is quite possible that a new small fort or camp or observation post for the road connection between the then forts in Cologne and Neuss was established here.
• Recent excavations near the complex revealed an old burial ground with at least 70 graves, which were laid out between the 1st and 3rd centuries. Whether a smaller predecessor of the later fort already existed at that time cannot yet be proven. Historically verifiable, however, are Frankish raids at the end of the 3rd century with destruction of Roman complexes on the left Lower Rhine.
• Two Matron stones were found in the walls of the later estate. The province of Germania Inferior was no longer controlled and abandoned by the Romans from the beginning of the 5th century. With the later date, the fort would have been used by the Romans for border security for only a few decades. The discovery of the Matron stones, however, indicates a much longer Roman period, as this cult reached its peak on the left Lower Rhine already in the first to third centuries AD.
• The discovery of a gold coin from the time of Emperor Honorius (384/394–423) further proves that the fort was used for border security until the collapse of the Roman province on the Lower Rhine.
• That construction measures took place in Bürgel fort at the beginning of the 4th century is proven by a recent find of 139 bronze coins beneath the floor of a Roman bath complex in the fort. These coins all date from the time of Emperor Constantine.

Middle Ages to Modern Times

From the period after the end of the Roman province of Germania Inferior at the beginning of the 5th century and the beginning of the rule of the Ripuarian Franks on the Lower Rhine, no usable information about Haus Bürgel is available for several centuries. Only towards the end of the 1st millennium are there concrete indications of the former fort. Presumably, it was a royal estate of the Ottonians at that time. In 1002, it was transferred by them to Archbishop Heribert of Cologne. It is then mentioned as an archiepiscopal court located near Zons.

On May 3, 1019, "Castrum de Burgula" was gifted by Archbishop Heribert of Cologne to Deutz Abbey as a prebend, along with other land, during the consecration of the abbey church. The document stated: "Castrum ctiam in Burgula et ecclesiam in Zünce cum decima". This donation was confirmed in 1147 by Pope Eugene III. In his document of July 17, a "Castle Bürgel with the court and church" was mentioned. Already at this time, a chapel in Zons belonged to the parish of 'Bürgel Church'. However, there is also the assumption that the chapel located within 'Haus Bürgel' was identical to the chapel of Zons.

In further documents from 1166, 1183, and 1218, one of the witnesses was a Conradus de Burgela. He had received Bürgel as a fief from Deutz Abbey. In 1222, Archbishop Engelbert I of Cologne handed over the 'Bürgel Court' to Kaiserswerth Abbey and simultaneously freed it from all taxes and obligations. In 1326, Winricus de Burgele, with the consent of his brother Andreas, sold the castle and half of the lands, including the patronage rights for a church, for 1450 Cologne marks to the Abbot of Deutz. Subsequently, he received the estate for lease for 150 marks per year. In 1352, Reinardus Zobbe von Ingendorp was the tenant of the estate. In 1359, with the permission of the Abbot of Deutz, the estate was sold to Renardus Besendrisch. This purchase was confirmed by Archbishop Wilhelm of Cologne. 'Besendrisch', in turn, transferred the patronage for the 'Bürgel Church' and the Zons Chapel to Brauweiler Abbey in 1361 at the instruction of the Abbot. The Zons Chapel thus belonged to the parish of Bürgel for centuries.

A small chapel, dedicated to Saint Maternus, stood in the central area of the courtyard complex. The interior of the chapel was 35 feet long and 25 feet wide.

Whether the 'Bürgel Church' mentioned in documents was identical to the chapel is, as already stated, controversial. Various historians suspect that a church belonged to a walled small village next to the manor house and was not located within 'Haus Bürgel'. Corresponding indications that seem to confirm this are also cited in texts available in the archives of Deutz Abbey and Brauweiler Abbey. Other historians, however, suspect that the chapel was a successor building to a larger church in the inner courtyard. This larger church was demolished and replaced by the small chapel.

In 1376, Brauweiler Abbey sold the estate to Knight 'Gerat van Kayproyde'. He, in turn, handed over the estate to Archbishop Friedrich III of Cologne. The document stated: "as the abbot and the monastery of Bruwylre had previously held the estate". Kayproyde then received the estate as a fief from the Archbishop.

After the devastating Rhine flood at the end of the 14th century (possibly in 1374), the estate was located on the right bank instead of the left bank of the Rhine and was now separated from Zons by the Rhine. After the construction of a church in Zons, the chapel at Haus Bürgel was therefore subordinated to the parish of Zons from 1405, by order of Archbishop 'Friedrich III' of Cologne. The presumed small village with a church next to the estate had been completely destroyed by the Rhine flood and no longer existed. Only the buildings of the former fort, equipped with significantly stronger foundations and walls, had withstood the water pressure. Only an old field name between the Rhine and 'Gut Bürgel', called "Kirbergerloch", would still be an indication of the vanished place with a church.

The affiliation of the 'Bürgel Chapel' to the parish of Zons only ended in 1803 with the French period in the Rhineland. From this time on, the chapel belonged to the parish of Baumberg. In 1843, the 'Bürgel Parish' was dissolved and the chapel was no longer used. Already around 1881, it was dilapidated. A photo from 1910 showed the chapel only as a ruin without a roof, and it was demolished in 1916.

After the Rhine flood at the end of the 14th century, the ownership of 'Haus Bürgel' changed several times. At the end of the 14th century, Count Johann von Limburg-Broich was the owner. He bequeathed 'Haus Bürgel' to his adopted daughter Irmgard von Sayn. Through her husband Wirich V von Daun-Falkenstein, his son Philipp II inherited the court according to a contract of May 8, 1546. The last heir from this noble family 'Daun-Falkenstein' was a daughter Christiane Luise. Her husband Emich Christian von Leiningen-Dagsburg sold Haus Bürgel in 1698 to Franz Freiherr zu Nesselrode. For the next almost three centuries, the Counts of Nesselrode were the last historical owners of the court. As late as 1837/38, these owners erected a new manor house. In 1989, they sold the estate to the NRW Foundation.

In 1864, the Kaiser Wilhelm apple was discovered here as a chance seedling.

Currently, Haus Bürgel serves as an agricultural enterprise, which was relocated some years ago. Furthermore, Haus Bürgel is the location of a historical museum and the Biological Stations of the Mettmann district and the city of Düsseldorf.